


Falling Into Entropy

by Anonymous



Series: Entropy [1]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Case Fic, Crying, Gen, Gil Arroyo is a good dad, Guilt, Heavy Angst, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Lots of tears, M/M, Malcolm Bright Gets a Hug, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Malcolm Bright Whump, Pining, Platonic Bed Sharing, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell, Protective Gil Arroyo, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Self-Worth Issues, Sharing a Bed, Undercover Missions, a frick ton of hugs, lots of comfort, undercover as models, well it's a case gone wrong, well it's more hopeful than happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:47:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27855370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: An undercover case goes wrong.  Very wrong.  The only thing Gil can do is pick up the pieces.
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Entropy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081829
Comments: 11
Kudos: 78
Collections: anonymous





	Falling Into Entropy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SomeRainMustFall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeRainMustFall/gifts).



> For the love of all that is holy, read the tags. Other than that, I hope you enjoy breaking the boy and putting him back together as much as I do. That is all folks.

"If you're actually gonna do this, you're gonna do this right," Gil said in no uncertain terms. Malcolm knew the man hated the idea since he and Dani first brought it up, but clearly Gil could see the logic in it as he tossed two files onto the table, one with Malcolm's face on it, and one with Dani's. "Memorize these. The easiest lie is the one that's closest to the truth, so that's what we're going with." He turned to Malcolm. "Bright, you are now Mal Brantly, a rich boy whose family just cut him off. You're getting into modeling to get that money back and to get back into your family's good graces." Gil turned back to Dani. "You are Daniela Pearson. You're in modeling to pay for nursing school, but recently you've been thinking about modeling full time."

Malcolm poured over the file in front of him, detailing a life that wasn't quite his, but wasn't as far off the mark as it could've been. In another life, maybe it could've been him.

"Do we know each other?" Dani asked, pointing between herself and Malcolm.

Gil nodded. "You have the same agent, and you're friendly with each other, but this is the first shoot you've done together." He shook his head and sighed. "I can't believe I'm letting you do this," he muttered.

"It's the right play," JT added from the other side of the room. "It puts us in the right place to catch Jenkins in the act without civilians at risk."

"But it puts Dani at risk," Gil protested.

"She'll have backup," Malcolm quickly replied. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to her." He would be the victim before he let anything happen to Dani.

"Bright, I know you would do anything to protect her, but you're not a cop," Gil pointed out, and he wasn't wrong, but Malcolm felt that he could protect her just as well as any cop could. He had been with the FBI for close to a decade. He was a fighter, and he fought well. Malcolm knew he could protect her, despite his small size.

"But he makes a better model than me," JT interjected with wide eyes. "And Dani doesn't need backup."

"Thank you," Dani replied. She turned to look at Gil. "Boss, I know you're concerned, but I've got this. It doesn't take much to catch a creep in the act, and it's not as if I haven't done it before. Besides, I'll have Bright with me. I'll be fine."

Gil sighed again, but nodded. "I know, I know. I've got it all set up. You'll report to the company's address in two hours for the shoot. I know you already know this, but he'll be likely to claim entrapment as a defense in court, so be extra careful with everything you say and do. Due to the nature of this, JT and I can't be on comms with you, but we'll be waiting at the café on the floor below the shoot. If either of you need us, give us a holler. We'll trust our guts if we think something is wrong, but other than that, you're on your own."

Malcolm nodded. Their suspect, Albert Jenkins, had raped and murdered three women, all models that he had been photographing for various shoots. His psychology suggested that he was likely to blame his victims in every circumstance, and say that they had either been asking for it or hadn't tried to stop him. Adding that Dani was a cop, an entrapment defense was the most likely outcome, so they needed to be extra careful to prove that it was all on Jenkins. A sleazy defense lawyer could easily pin it all on Dani and get Jenkins off the hook, likely throwing out the other cases against him in the process. They couldn't take that chance. Dani needed to be provocative and yet completely dismissing at the same time. For Dani, that was going to be effortless. Malcolm was there strictly as her backup, even though she didn't need it. Dani could take anyone on her own just fine.

"Still can't believe I'm letting you do this," Gil muttered once again before walking back into his office, shaking his head.

Dani shot Malcolm a sarcastic smile. "Ready to be objectified and treated like a piece of meat for the rest of the day?" she asked him with a wince.

"All in the name of justice," he replied, cringing. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it either, but to protect more women from being violated and killed by Jenkins? Malcolm would do just about anything.

Two hours later, Malcolm and Dani - now in their covers as Mal and Daniela - were in opposite dressing rooms getting ready for what was surely going to be the most embarrassing photo session of both of their lives. It was an underwear shoot for a brand looking to be the next Victoria's Secret. It was the perfect hunting ground for a rapist, and fit with Malcolm's profile that Jenkins was looking for what he deemed to be easy prey.

The pair that Malcolm would be modeling for the shoot were technically boxer briefs, but that was far too generous in his opinion. The material stretched so tightly across his ass and groin that it left nothing to the imagination. It was a deep red, with lace on the side that exposed his pale skin beneath. And to think that that pair was the less revealing of the two. Hopefully, Jenkins would make his move that day, and Malcolm and Dani wouldn't have to show up the next day for the second half of the shoot - where the even more revealing underwear would be modeled.

Malcolm tried not to shudder as he walked out of the dressing room and into hair and makeup, clad in only those boxers, along with a thin silk robe he'd been provided. It didn't feel like nearly enough.

Dani was already there, getting her hair and makeup done, despite the fact that Malcolm thought Dani looked like a runway model every day without all that fancy stuff. She too was wearing a silk robe, and Malcolm knew it only covered a bra and panties. He fought to keep himself from blushing at the thought. That wasn't fair to her. Malcolm plopped down in the seat next to her and shot her a nervous smile. Now that they were there, his nerves had shot up significantly. He needed to keep himself calm if they were going to pull it off.

The two sat wordlessly as the artists did their hair and makeup just right, accentuating their features in all the right ways to make them both look much more sensual and alluring than they normally tried to be. But it wasn't only their faces that received makeup. The artists had them take off their robes and gave them various oils and highlights that drew attention to all the right places - or perhaps the wrong ones.

Malcolm did all he could not to look at Dani too much, but it was impossible to look away forever. Just as he had assumed she would be, Dani was clad in lingerie matching his own, with the addition of a small black bow at the front of her panties. The bra was mostly lace, with silk covering a small portion of her breasts. As much as he hated it to even think of it, Malcolm couldn't deny how stunning Dani looked. He would've been lying if he said she wasn't a sight that he enjoyed seeing, but that wasn't fair to her. He could tell that she was nervous too, despite her valiant efforts to hide it - if Malcolm wasn't a profiler, he wouldn't have been able to tell at all. He breathed a sigh of relief when the hair and makeup artists left the room, informing them that they had five minutes before they needed to be on set.

"This'll be fun," Malcolm muttered, staring at himself in the mirror. He barely even recognized himself through all the makeup. His hair had perhaps been made more messy, with some of his brown locks spilling over his forehead in a way that Malcolm longed to brush back, but they'd evened out his skin tone, and added a bit of dark eye shadow to go along with the eyeliner and mascara that they'd put him in. Dani was much the same, with the added bronzer and contouring that Malcolm lacked. Her curls had been perfectly adjusted to frame her face in large ringlets. They were both dark and sultry, which was exactly the vibe that this company was going for.

"It's the job, right?" Dani replied. Even out of sight of anyone, they were going to stay in character. There was no telling who could've been right outside the door.

"We've got this," Malcolm said, turning to her with a much more genuine smile. They could do it, they were going to be just fine. It was certainly going to be uncomfortable, but they could do it.

"Let's get to work," Dani said with a genuine smile of her own. Malcolm couldn't help but mirror it. They were going to catch a rapist and a killer. Even on the bad days, Malcolm still loved his job.

Robes in hand - they'd been informed not to put them back on until after the shoot was over - Malcolm and Dani left hair and makeup and walked down the hall, their bare feet padding quietly along the linoleum. Malcolm stared straight ahead, not looking at Dani, and definitely not looking at anyone who could've been staring at him. But maybe he was giving himself too much credit. The people working there saw models every day in various states of undress. Seeing him almost naked probably wasn't a big deal to them, even if it was to him. Still, Malcolm didn't like to think that five more people had seen him like that when he didn't really want them to.

They entered the room they had been directed to, and dropped their robes by the door. They wouldn't be needing them until the end of the shoot. Their suspect, Albert Jenkins, was there, along with a few other people working the lights. The man was at his camera, but glanced up the moment they walked into the room. His face lit up with a brazen smile that hid the lust beneath. He was a mountain of a man, easily a foot taller than Malcolm and at least one hundred pounds heavier. Maybe Malcolm wasn't quite as well suited to be Dani's backup as he'd thought.

"I knew from your photos that the two of you would be perfect for this shoot, but wow," Jenkins practically moaned as Malcolm and Dani walked closer. "Your agency has really outdone itself this time. There are no finer models there than the two of you, that is for certain," he said, looking between the two of them, his eyes roaming across their bodies. Malcolm worked to keep himself steady under the man's gaze, but Dani made it look effortless. She barely glanced at the man, looking much more interested in her manicure than the compliments paid to her. It was perfect. With Malcolm as a witness, any defense that Jenkins could use about Dani leading him on simply wouldn't hold up. Malcolm couldn't help but smile. "Mal and Daniela, right?" he confirmed.

"Yup," was all Dani said in reply, still barely looking Jenkins' way.

"Yes, that's us," Malcolm said to balance out her aloof attitude. They couldn't have Jenkins think that they didn't care about the shoot, just that Dani didn't care about Jenkins in any way.

"Right this way, please," Jenkins continued, gesturing towards the plain gray sheets hanging from rafters that formed the backdrop. It was a simple shoot, with the lingerie being the only pop of color and thus the immediate attention grabber of the photos and videos for the ad campaign.

Malcolm and Dani knew exactly what they were getting into. They knew that they would have to get much closer to each other than they'd ever been, and likely even become somewhat intimate. They'd accepted that fact, and were willing to do whatever the job needed. There was no doubt that it was going to be uncomfortable, but if it helped them catch a rapist and murderer, anything was worth it.

"Let's get started then, shall we?" Jenkins said, a predatory smile on his face. Malcolm let out a nervous chuckle, but Dani just retained her stony expression.

The overhead lights went out, leaving just the spotlights and glowing lamps angled in just the right way for the shoot. Malcolm took a deep breath, and sidled up next to Dani, closer to her than he'd ever stood before.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked her in a low voice, almost a whisper.

"Whatever it takes," Dani replied, her eyes determined. Malcolm nodded to her, then turned and nodded to Jenkins, who would be instructing them on how to move and what to do.

It was awkward, and uncomfortable, but soon enough, Malcolm and Dani were sliding their hands and lips all over each other's bodies as the camera clicked and flashed in the foreground. It wasn't enough for Jenkins. They were still being respectful towards each other, and Jenkins wanted more.

"Come on, Daniela, really grab his ass," Jenkins shouted at them as Malcolm gently moved his lips over Dani's neck and ran his hand through her curls.

"I'm sorry," Dani muttered as she did as she was told, squeezing Malcolm's ass and moving her head back to give Malcolm better access to her neck.

"No, I'm sorry," Malcolm replied, flushing with shame as his body began to react to what Dani was doing. The lingerie he wore was far too tight to leave any guess as to what he was apologizing for, and Malcolm hated himself for it. He tried to think of gross naked old people having sex, and that helped a little bit, but not enough when Dani was right there and so beautiful and she was touching him in ways he'd dreamed of and-. "I'm so sorry," he repeated. It wasn't fair to her. She didn't want to be seen by him that way, that wasn't what any of this was for. He couldn't think about her like that, especially not then.

"It's not your fault," Dani whispered in reply, continuing with her movements, but she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Yeah, Mal, that's it," Jenkins shouted with a dark chuckle. It was that more than anything Malcolm could think of that helped to get his mind out of the gutter and back to the case. It didn't solve the problem, since his body and his mind weren't always on the same page, but it definitely helped, and stopped Malcolm from hating himself so much. He could hate Jenkins instead.

Malcolm and Dani continued on as the cameras kept flashing, their shutters making their telltale sounds as the two of them practically gyrated against each other. They continued on and on, moving around each other in every which way, getting shots of all angles and positions. Malcolm was sure that when all was said and done, the ads they created really would look spectacular, no matter how much he hated them. Victoria's Secret would be proud.

Finally, the cameras stopped flashing, and the shutters stopped snapping. Malcolm and Dani took hesitant steps apart, hoping they were finally done.

"Well done," Jenkins called out with a smile. "These look fantastic," he said, focused on his camera. Malcolm and Dani moved to grab their silk robes off the floor and quickly put them back on, eager to be covered and clothed once again.

"Are we done for the day?" Malcolm asked, glancing between himself and Dani. The lighting crew was already filtering out, leaving everything as it was for the shoot the following day. Only Dani, Malcolm, and Jenkins were left in the room.

"Yep, report back at the same time tomorrow for part two," Jenkins replied, still fiddling with the large camera.

Malcolm couldn't help but deflate a bit. He really didn't want to go through that again. As much as he also didn't want Dani to have to be assaulted, the whole idea was that Jenkins was going to try to, and then Dani and Malcolm would arrest him. They couldn't arrest him if he didn't try anything. Malcolm and Dani were going to have to go back the next day, wear the even more revealing set of lingerie, and hope that Jenkins would try it then, or else their plan was a bust and the biggest - and worst - waste of time Malcolm had ever come up with.

Still, he turned towards the door, Dani right in front of him.

"Wait, Mal, could you hold up a second?" Jenkins asked him once Dani already had one foot out the door. "I promise I won't keep him too long," he said, sending a grin towards Dani.

Malcolm faltered. He looked between Dani and Jenkins. What did the man want? After Dani nodded, Malcolm nodded to Jenkins. The man would be far away from Dani, so there was no harm in letting her out of Malcolm's sight for a moment. She wasn't going to be in any danger.

"Yeah, sure thing," he responded, then turned on his heel back towards Jenkins as the door fell closed behind Dani, leaving only Malcolm and Jenkins in the room. "What do you need?" he asked the man. Jenkins walked over to him, then stopped about two feet away from him. It was pretty close, but not enough for Malcolm to feel the need to step back.

"I need you, pretty boy," Jenkins said, then swung at Malcolm with his fist so fast that Malcolm didn't have to react before he was on the ground, moaning in pain. The hit had connected with Malcolm's temple and sent him straight to the ground, where his head hit the hard floor. Malcolm was so focused on not throwing up that he barely registered the sound of the deadbolt on the industrial door locking.

Jenkins was on him again in an instant, beginning to pull at his thin robe. "You won't be needing this, sweet thing," the man said, his voice thick with lust.

"Get off me!" Malcolm shouted as he began to fight through his pain and nausea. He managed to land a few decent hits on his attacker, but Malcolm was blind with panic. How had he gotten the profile so wrong? Why was he being attacked? Malcolm landed a solid hit to Jenkins' temple, sending the man off him with a groan. He scrambled to get away, but Jenkins got a hold of his robe. Malcolm let it go, getting himself a few more feet away before a hand wrapped around his ankle and dragged him back. "No, stop! Dani!" he screamed, but the walls were thick. She probably couldn't hear him. She didn't know that he was in danger. Not even Malcolm had known he was in danger.

Jenkins got himself on top of Malcolm, straddling his stomach as Malcolm thrashed wildly beneath him. The man was holding Malcolm's slim wrists in his meaty hands in a bruising grip, practically grinding the bones against each other.

"I know you want this, you little slut," Jenkins said, his smile cruel and cold as he put all of his strength into holding Malcolm down. "I saw you blushing at my compliments, smiling at me, getting hard when Daniela grabbed your ass. You're a whore and you want this, and I'm gonna be the one to give it to you."

Malcolm froze as the profile came together. His profile hadn't been wrong, but it had been woefully incomplete. Having Dani act so aloof towards him had ensured that she wouldn't be the target, but Malcolm's polite smiles and niceties had ensured the opposite for himself. Malcolm was going to get raped and murdered for being polite.

"No, I really don't want this, please," he begged as he bucked against the man, trying to move the mountain off him, but to no avail. Jenkins was just too big. He felt tears gathering in his eyes as the hopelessness of his situation set in. The only mercy was that in his panic, his own arousal had disappeared as his body rushed blood to his extremities to fuel his fight or flight response.

"It doesn't even matter," Jenkins said around a dark chuckle. "You're my bitch either way." Jenkins let go of Malcolm's wrists with one of his hands, but latched that hand around Malcolm's throat instead. Malcolm gasped and choked as he thrashed, but he still couldn't get Jenkins off him. His eyes sought out the door, but it remained locked and closed, and through the window in the door, there was no one in sight. Dani was in the dressing room, and JT and Gil were on the floor below, but no one was coming to save him. No one knew that he needed to be saved.

Malcolm twisted and turned, but nothing worked. He was trapped underneath the man. His lungs were screaming for oxygen as Jenkins kept squeezing, and darkness started to encroach at the edge of Malcolm's vision. His useless kicks and flails got weaker and weaker, until Malcolm was nearly motionless underneath Jenkins. It was then that Jenkins finally released his chokehold, but Malcolm was too weak and focused on breathing to stop the man as he was flipped onto his stomach and his skin tight boxers were torn off, leaving him naked underneath the other man, who was still fully clothed.

"Oh, you're so beautiful," Jenkins muttered as he trailed his hands along Malcolm's sides and squeezed his ass. Malcolm tried to move once again as he heard the telltale sound of Jenkins' belt and zipper coming undone. "I'm gonna fuck you so hard."

"No, please don't do this," Malcolm begged as tears began to fall down his face. Jenkins grabbed onto his wrists once again, and Malcolm was completely immobilized. "I don't want this, I don't want this, please stop," he begged. All of his dignity was gone already at that point. If begging saved him, then he'd beg and beg and beg. Jenkins just laughed again. "Gil! Gil, help me! Please!" he screamed in terror, his throat aching as it protested due to the abuse it had already suffered.

"No one is coming to save you, pretty boy. Your ass is mine," Jenkins said as Malcolm began to sob. Even when he was with Watkins, he hadn't been so terrified.

The pain was instantaneous and excruciating. It was the worst pain that Malcolm had ever felt in his entire life. It felt like he was being split in two. Malcolm could barely hear Jenkins moaning over the sounds of his own screams and cries. The only relief he got from Jenkins' relentless thrusts was from his own blood acting as lubricant. Even as Jenkins let go with one of his hands, Malcolm couldn't do anything to escape. The man moved that hand to his hip, holding him in place with that bruising grip that he could feel down to his bones.

"Oh, yeah, Mal," Jenkins moaned. "Tighter than any pussy I've fucked, pretty boy."

Malcolm's screams turned into sobs as his throat gave out. He couldn't scream anymore. He just kept sobbing as the man held him down and pounded into him, making him nothing but an object, turning him into something less than human, something that didn't have to be respected or treated well. Malcolm wanted to die.

"Show them your pretty face," Jenkins said as he released his grip on Malcolm's hip and thrust his hand into his hair, pulling his head up to face the camera that Malcolm barely noticed was pointed directly at them, the little red light on. "Let them all see how you ruin your makeup while you get fucked like the pretty little bitch you are."

There was a pounding on the door, but Malcolm could barely hear it over his sobs. He wanted to die.

He wanted to die. He wished he was dead. He wanted to die.

............................................

Gil tapped his fingers restlessly against the table as he stared at the staircase. It was taking too long. Why hadn't they heard from Malcolm or Dani yet? The shoot was past its scheduled end point, and yet the rest of his team hadn't yet checked in in any way. Maybe he and JT needed to go investigate. What if something had happened and Malcolm wasn't able to act as backup? They should've heard something by then.

"Boss, relax," JT said, taking another sip of his coffee. "They know what they're doing. Bright knows to watch Dani's back. He's not gonna let anything happen to her."

"I just feel like something's wrong," Gil said with a shrug and a shake of his head.

"Of course something's wrong, this coffee was eight dollars, and it's not even that good," JT complained. The café below the studio was one of those artsy cafés where customers were really paying to be hipsters instead of paying for actual good coffee, but the tables were for paying customers only, so Gil and JT had to each purchase a cup in order to wait there.

Gil scoffed, but nodded. JT was definitely right, but obviously the overpriced coffee wasn't what Gil was concerned about. He would give Malcolm and Dani five more minutes, but if he didn't hear anything by then, he was going up. He could pretend be lost and on the wrong floor, that was an easy enough excuse.

But Gil didn't have to wait five minutes for it all to go to hell. Only two minutes later, Dani's name popped up on his phone. Gil sighed in relief and answered, but he'd barely greeted her before she was screaming into his ear.

"Bright's being attacked and I can't break the door down! Get up here, now!" she yelled, then hung up. Gil's heart dropped into his stomach, but he didn't give himself any time to think about it as he bolted up from the table and started running towards the stairs. He didn't have time to wait for the elevator. JT was shouting behind him, but Gil didn't stop to explain. He just kept running, bursting the door to the stairwell open and taking them two at a time. As soon as he was up the stairs, he ran towards the sound of someone banging on a door.

Dani was throwing herself against the door, her eyes wide with panic. "Gil!" she screamed at him. There were tears in her eyes. "I can't get it open," she cried out.

Gil froze when he got to the door and saw through the door's window what was happening inside the room. Malcolm, his kid, his sweet, innocent kid, was on the ground, struggling against the mountain of a man who was holding him down, attacking him, raping him. Gil could hear his muffled screams and sobs through the thick door. It was the sight of the blood on the ground that broke him out of his frozen panic and spurred him into action. He lifted his foot and banged it against the door, like he'd down hundreds of times before, but the door wouldn't budge. It remained stubbornly locked, separating him from his kid.

"JT!" he called out, but the man was right next to him, his own eyes wide with shock. He turned to Dani. "On three," he said. He counted it out, and they all hit the door in unison, but it wasn't enough. "Get back," he muttered as he pulled out his gun. The only option was to shoot the lock and hope it was enough. He could hear muffled moans and laughter from the room, adding to Malcolm's sobs and screams.

"Stop, please!" he heard Malcolm beg. "Gil!" Jenkins laughed again as his thrusts turned erratic, but the sound was covered by the sound of the gun as Gil fired three rounds at the lock. The door burst open when Gil hit it again, but JT was the first one into the room. He tackled Jenkins off Malcolm like an offensive lineman, and began hitting him again and again, but Jenkins just continued to laugh.

"It's too late," Jenkins said around a laugh. "I've already won."

Gil didn't take the time to think on the man's words as he slid to his knees next to Malcolm, who was sobbing on the floor, curled in on himself. There were angry red marks on his wrists, neck, and hips, along with blood and Jenkins' semen on the ground.

"Hey, hey," Gil said softly, just loud enough for Malcolm to hear him over his sobs. The poor kid had makeup stained all over his face from his tears, and he was shaking in pain and terror. "I'm here now, he can't hurt you anymore," he said as tears built up in his own eyes. How had this happened? How had they gotten it all so wrong? Gil carefully reached out and put his hand on Malcolm's shoulder. It looked like Malcolm flinched, but he was shaking so hard that it was difficult to tell. "Hey, kid, look at me," he pleaded. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see JT putting cuffs on Jenkins and reading him his rights. Dani just stood there, seemingly in shock.

Finally, Malcolm opened his eyes and looked at him, tears still streaming down his face. "Gil," he said through a broken sob. "I'm sorry, I didn't know, I was wrong, I'm so sorry-," he said before breaking off into sobs once again. Gil gathered him up in his arms as much as he could. He didn't want to cause the kid any more pain, and as horrible as it was, Gil didn't want to take this risk of contaminating any of the evidence that Malcolm's body was riddled with. He needed to get Jenkins put away for life, and couldn't risk that not happening because Gil had contaminated evidence with his own DNA from skin cells or fibers from his clothes. He thanked Dani with a quick nod as she laid a thin silk robe over Malcolm. It already had some blood on it.

"None of this is your fault," Gil said as he held his sobbing kid, his own voice breaking. "None of this is on you, none of it."

"A bus is on its way," Dani said, her own voice wobbling. "But we've got another problem. This camera had been livestreaming."

Malcolm let out a keening wail and curled in on himself impossibly more, clutching Gil with everything he had. Jenkins laughed again.

"Hundreds of people already saw him getting fucked like the bitch he is, and they can watch the little whore again and again," Jenkins said, clearly uncaring of the ire he was drawing. JT lashed out, hitting him across the face, hard enough to make the man groan as blood started pouring from his nose.

"Don't you ever call him that again," JT snarled at Jenkins. "Don't you even look at him, you sick bastard." JT hauled the man to his feet and started pulling him away. Jenkins wasn't resisting.

"It's only a shame I didn't get to wring his pretty little neck," Jenkins said with a smile, allowing JT to drag him away. How could the man be so confident, so uncaring? He was going to prison for the rest of his life, he had to know that. Why didn't he seem to care in the slightest?

Gil turned his full attention back to the sobbing boy in his arms. "He's not gonna hurt you anymore, it's over, I'm here now," he said as tears streaked down his own face. Gil gently carded his fingers through Malcolm's hair, doing anything he could to help calm his kid down. He couldn't even imagine the excruciating pain he had to be in.

Malcolm didn't reply. He just kept crying and holding on to Gil. That was fine. Gil would do whatever he needed to to help Malcolm, even though part of him wanted to walk right up to Jenkins and shoot him between the eyes for what he did. Sadly, they needed the man alive. If he had livestreamed what he did to Malcolm, then he had probably livestreamed what he did to the other victims. That gave the crimes a whole new dark web angle that they hadn't known about. Clearly it went much deeper than any of them had thought. They needed to get everything they could from Jenkins to shut the whole thing down and find as many of those sick perverts on the dark web as they could. It made Gil's blood boil to know that hundreds of people had literally paid to see Malcolm get raped. How could anyone be so cruel and sadistic? And it wasn't even over. That video would be taken into evidence, and other people would have to watch it too. Other people were going to see what was done to the poor boy, and that video was going to be analyzed and shown again and again to detectives and prosecutors and the defense team and judges and even more people were going to watch Gil's son being raped. He held onto Malcolm a little tighter.

"I'm right here," he said. "I'm not gonna leave you. I'm never gonna leave you." Gil glanced up and saw Dani crouching a few feet away, her head in her hands. She was crying too.

"This is all my fault," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, I should've known, I should've-," she broke off, looking up Gil and Malcolm, who was still crying in Gil's arms, his eyes squeezed shut. Gil just shook his head. It wasn't Dani's fault. It was Gil's fault. He was the one who authorized the undercover against his better judgement. He knew it was a bad idea, but he signed off on it anyway. And now, he was never going to forgive himself.

The EMTs came rushing in a moment later, but Malcolm curled in on himself even more, hiding his face in Gil's sweater. They didn't ask any questions as to what had happened. JT must have told them.

"Kid, we gotta take you to the hospital," Gil said, squeezing Malcolm's shoulder. "It has to happen, I'm so sorry." Malcolm nodded, but his cries didn't stop.

"You can lift him onto the stretcher," one of the EMTs gently said. "And you can ride in the ambulance, whatever he needs." Gil nodded immediately. Him riding with Malcolm wasn't even a question. He was never leaving that kid again, as long as he lived.

"I'm gonna lift you up, okay?" he asked him. At Malcolm's nod, Gil slipped his arms under the kid's knees and shoulders, careful to make sure the thin robe still covered him, and lifted him up. A few steps later, and Gil gently set Malcolm down onto the stretcher, but he didn't move away. He took Malcolm's hand in his, and he didn't plan on letting go. Gil glanced over at Dani, who was now standing, and hugging herself. He hated to leave her.

"I'll stay and wait for CSU," she said, her voice still wobbly. Dani took a deep breath and nodded, as if she were grounding herself. "I'll tell them what happened and make sure all the evidence is gathered."

"JT is taking that piece of shit to lockup," Gil said, even though he didn't actually know that. JT hadn't said where he was taking Jenkins, but lockup was the logical place - or the morgue, but Gil knew JT wouldn't risk taking down the buyers of dark web pornography for revenge, no matter how much they all wanted to. "I'll keep you updated."

At Dani's nod, Gil turned back to the EMTs, careful to make sure that his gaze never fell to the pool of blood and semen on the floor. He squeezed Malcolm's hand again. The kid's cries had gotten softer, but Gil still saw more tears making their way down his make up streaked face. They began to make their way to the elevator and out of the building, and Malcolm kept his eyes stubbornly shut the whole time. Gil was glad he did. The poor kid didn't need to be reminded that other people were watching. Even once they were in the ambulance, his eyes were still shut, but perhaps it was out of exhaustion. His cries had nearly stopped, but his grip didn't let up on Gil's hand. Gil started running his fingers through Malcolm's hair again and whispering calming reassurances and promises in his ear. Gil would die before he let this happen again. The only thing he could do to help the kid was be the one to wipe some of the makeup away with a damp paper towel provided by one of the EMTs. It helped a bit, but Malcolm would certainly need to wash his face later.

Gil didn't let go of Malcolm's hand once as the ambulance arrived at the hospital and Malcolm was brought back into an exam room. He was going to be there throughout the entire process. There was nothing that could make him leave his kid's side. But what could he possibly do to make the rape kit easier on him? It was a highly invasive procedure that could take several hours to complete, and Gil knew that Malcolm knew that.

"I'm gonna be right here the whole time, I'm not gonna leave you, I promise," he said as a nurse approached Malcolm's prone form on the exam bed.

"At any time during the procedure, you can have us stop. We will only do this as long as you are comfortable with it," she said in a calm, soothing voice. Malcolm nodded, but didn't let go of Gil's hand.

"Please don't make him leave," Malcolm begged as more tears streamed down his face, squeezing Gil's hand even harder.

"It's alright, he can stay," she said with a gentle smile on her face. "Whatever you need, honey."

At Malcolm's nod, Gil helped him to stand, and let the thin robe fall away. It would be collected for evidence. Malcolm shivered as he stood there, bare once again, his hand shaking in Gil's grasp.

Malcolm remained silent throughout the arduous and invasive procedure, safe for his soft cries and his whimpers of pain. He stared straight at the wall, resolutely avoiding eye contact with all of the nurses. Gil was thankful that they lived in NYC, and thus had nurses whose whole jobs were to take care of survivors. He tried to focus on his gratitude for them, and the fact that the team had gotten to Malcolm before he'd been strangled to death like the other victims had, but that was so hard when the poor kid was crying and shaking, when Gil could see the finger shaped bruises forming around his throat, wrists, and hips. All Gil wanted to do was hold Malcolm in his arms forever, to keep him safe and make sure he knew that Gil was never letting something like this happen again. Gil still couldn't believe that it had happened in the first place. How could they all have been so wrong?

After the extensive procedure was finally over, Malcolm was given a pair of hospital sweats to wear, since he didn't have any spare clothes, as well as some heavy duty painkillers and information on various victim's resources. Gil was given strict instructions to keep Malcolm's physical activity to a minimum for the next several days, and to watch for swelling in Malcolm's throat and any signs of a possible concussion, along with his own set of resources for the primary caregivers of those who've been assaulted. Just looking at the pamphlets made Gil's stomach turn. He shouldn't have to be reading any of it. The whole thing never should've happened. Gil should've taken better care of Malcolm, he should've watched him better, protected him better, been better. And now it was too late. Malcolm had been so viciously attacked and violated that Gil was scared he'd never get his kid back again, that this was the final straw of trauma that Malcolm could possibly endure, and he was going to become a shell of himself, a shell of the kid that Gil had raised as his own.

Gil's heart broke as Malcolm limped to the waiting cab, every other step drawing another whimper of pain. All Gil wanted to do was scoop the kid up in his arms and never let him go, but that wasn't an option. Malcolm needed agency. If he wanted to walk on his own, then Gil had to let him. He needed to let Malcolm be in control and in charge as much as possible. Still, he helped Malcolm into the cab, and shot a glare at the cab driver as the man gave Malcolm a strange look - he was limping, in hospital provided sweats, with tear and makeup stains all over his face, so Gil couldn't blame him for being curious, but he could blame him for making his kid feel even worse than he already did. Gil gave the driver Malcolm's address, and off they were, with Malcolm silent next to him, his shaking hand once again finding its way to Gil's. He held the boy's hand tight, hoping to communicate with a squeeze that he was there for Malcolm, that he loved him endlessly, and that he was never going to let him go.

After the driver was paid, Gil helped Malcolm out of the cab and up into his loft. The stairs were tricky, forcing Malcolm to move muscles that were sore and skin that was torn from the assault. He was silently crying again by the time they reached the loft.

Now that the evidence had been collected, Malcolm was free to shower and try to feel clean again, but he just stood in the middle of the loft, hugging himself tightly, as if he were trying to make himself as small as possible. The most telling sign was that he ignored Sunshine as she sang to him.

"What do you need?" Gil gently asked him. "Anything you need, anything at all, and I'll get it, I'll do it. I'll help you shower, or make you something to eat, or help you get to bed, anything, kid, absolutely anything."

It took a moment, and Gil's hand finding its way to Malcolm's shaking shoulder, but the kid finally looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "Hold me?" he asked as the tears fell.

Gil stepped forward, immediately taking Malcolm into his arms. The boy wrapped his arms around Gil's sweater and held on as tightly as he could, burying his face in Gil's shoulder. Gil moved a hand to Malcolm's hair and began massaging his scalp, careful to avoid his temple where yet another bruise was forming. His other hand ran slowly up and down the kid's back, gentle, yet hopefully grounding. Malcolm sobbed in his arms, clutching Gil's sweater like it was all he had.

"I was wrong," he sobbed. "Jenkins, he- he didn't just blame his victims, he sou- sought out victims that di- didn't expect it, that didn't see it- see it coming. Dani, she- she was expecting it, but I- I wasn't." Malcolm held onto Gil impossibly tighter, his head pressing into Gil's clavicle so hard it hurt, but Gil was never going to push the kid away.

"It's not your fault," Gil insisted, holding onto Malcolm a little tighter in return. "None of this is your fault. You did everything exactly how you supposed to, and sometimes it's not enough. That doesn't make it your fault." Gil held back that it was his own fault, knowing that Malcolm would try to immediately refute it. He didn't want to change topics or force Malcolm into the position of the comforter when he was the one who needed comfort the most. Malcolm just kept crying, holding onto Gil. "I know it doesn't feel like it, but you're gonna be okay. I'm gonna be with you no matter what. I'm gonna do whatever you need, I'll be whatever you need. I love you so much, kid. I'm never gonna leave you. It's gonna be okay, I promise. You're gonna get through this." There was a movement on his chest, perhaps a nod from Malcolm, but the kid stayed quiet, aside from his slowly quieting sobs.

Gil wasn't sure how long they stayed right there, but it was at least ten minutes. Gil was not going to be the one to break the embrace. That needed to be Malcolm's decision. Everything that happened needed to be Malcolm's decision. Finally, several minutes after Malcolm's cries had fully quieted, the kid slowly released his grip on Gil's sweater, and took a step back.

"I'm sorry about your sweater," he said in a low voice, almost a whisper. Gil glanced down and saw a stain on his sweater from the remnants of Malcolm's makeup, but he couldn't help but smile. It wasn't exactly funny, but he had to smile. Perhaps, if he didn't smile, he would be the one to sob.

"It's just a sweater, kid. I care about you infinitely more than this sweater, infinitely more than anything or anyone," he replied, ducking his head to try to catch Malcolm's gaze. He needed the kid to understand how much higher he ranked in Gil's life than literally anything else.

Once again, Malcolm just nodded, not giving any other response to Gil's statement. "I'm gonna shower," he quietly said instead.

"Of course, kid," Gil replied, giving Malcolm's shoulder another squeeze. "I'm gonna make you some soup, okay?" Malcolm nodded, but didn't seem to impressed with the idea. Gil's heart broke once again as he watched Malcolm limp to his drawers, then the bathroom.

Knowing that the kid was going to be in the bathroom for quite a while, Gil gave himself time to break down. He collapsed into the bar stool, his head falling into his hands. How was he supposed to help Malcolm through this when he didn't even know how to go through it? He had failed at the most important job he had. He was supposed to be looking after Malcolm, and the kid had been raped on his watch. How could he even look Malcolm in the eye? How did Malcolm not hate him?

Gil allowed himself just a few minutes to sob for his poor kid, then forced himself to get it together. He needed to be strong for Malcolm. He needed to exude nothing but strength and peace. He needed to put Malcolm's broken pieces back together. One way he could start that was by making the kid something that would be easy on his stomach. It was hard enough to get Malcolm to eat on a normal day, but after this, it was certainly going to be even more difficult.

It didn't take long to make some bland chicken noodle soup and feed Sunshine, but Gil was still surprised that he hadn't heard anything from the bathroom. He made his way over to the door and held up his fist to knock, but stopped when he heard it: muffled sobbing under the sound of the shower. Gil let his fist fall away. He needed to give Malcolm whatever time alone that he needed, even when it broke Gil's heart. With a deep breath, Gil forced himself to turn away and walk back into the kitchen, where he poured some soup into a bowl for Malcolm, and more into another bowl for himself. He filled up two glasses with water. If Gil had to pick a battle, he was going to pick the water. He didn't want Malcolm to become dehydrated, and he knew that was a possibility. There was an assortment of pill bottles on the counter aside from Malcolm's normal ones. He now had heavy duty pain meds and a variety of meds to fight against any possible infection while they waited for the results of his tests. The thought that Malcolm could become sick because of what that monster had done to him made Gil's blood boil. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that Jenkins got locked in a hole so dark he would never see the light of day again. That monster deserved to suffer and rot for what he'd done. Gil wasn't so sure he would be able to stop himself from killing the man if the opportunity presented itself.

At some point, he was going to have to call Jessica. As it was, his phone was blowing up with missed calls and texts from her. But how could he explain to the woman just how much he'd let her son down? Gil had promised her that he was going to look out for Malcolm, to protect him, and he'd epically failed. How could he look her in the eye? How could he ever be good enough for a woman like Jessica when he'd failed her son so completely? He needed to call her in the morning, or probably have her come over to Malcolm's loft. That wasn't the sort of conversation to have without Malcolm's consent and words. But that was an issue for the morning. His concern for the night was Malcolm.

The soft padding of bare feet across the wood floors stole his attention. Gil turned to see Malcolm in his pajamas, hair not yet fully dried, but face clean from makeup and tearstains alike. The red marks around his throat and wrists were more pronounced as the bruises took form. They were quite clearly in the shape of hands and fingers. Gil purposely looked away from them.

"Hey, kiddo," Gil gently greeted. "Any chance I can get you to eat something? I made you some soup. It should still be nice and warm." He gestured somewhat awkwardly towards the island, where two bowls and two glasses of water were waiting. Malcolm gave a half-hearted nod and padded over, still limping. The kid gingerly took a seat on the bar stool, wincing as he did so. Gil didn't mention it. "I've got all your meds ready for you to take, too. You just can't do it on an empty stomach." He eased himself into the seat next to his boy and began to slowly take mouthfuls of his own soup, hoping it would encourage Malcolm to do the same.

Luckily, it seemed to work. Without any further prompting, Malcolm took about a dozen sips of the bland soup, then dutifully took all of his meds with a sip of water for each one. He drank about half the glass. It was enough for Gil to be proud of him, and not to push him any further.

"What do you want to do now, kid?" Gil asked. "Watch a movie, go to sleep, play chess..." he trailed off. Gil didn't care what they did, only that Malcolm was the one to decide it.

"I just want to forget that today ever happened," Malcolm replied, in a much stronger voice than Gil had been expecting. "It's late, so I should try to sleep, even though I don't want to."

Gil couldn't deny that the kid needed sleep. Just in general, Malcolm needed significantly more sleep than he got, but after what he'd been through, he needed the sleep to help his body to heal. But if Malcolm didn't actually want to sleep, then Gil was going to have a hard time encouraging him to do it. Malcolm needed to have full control, especially when it concerned his body.

"Is there something else you'd rather do?" Gil hesitantly asked in reply. Malcolm just shrugged and shook his head, his hands falling into his lap as his head hung low. Gil ducked his own head to catch the kid's gaze. "Then what can I do to try to make sleep easier for you?"

After a moment, Malcolm lifted his head up to look at him. There was so much hurt and pain and fear in his eyes that Gil just about broke down right then and there.

"Stay?" Malcolm quietly asked him. Gil nodded immediately. He had never been going to leave in the first place.

"Of course, kid," he replied, beginning to rub Malcolm's back. He took it as a victory that Malcolm didn't flinch at the contact, and instead seemed to relax. "I'll go change, then we can get you into bed, okay?" Malcolm nodded again, and took another sip of water, holding the glass in his hands. "I'll be right back."

Gil took quick steps over to Malcolm's closet and pulled out the bag he kept there for emergencies such as this. It contained a few changes of clothes, as well as the necessary toiletries. Gil had never been more glad to have insisted that he keep it there.

He was quick in the bathroom, changing and all that, but he took a moment to text an update to Dani and JT. They both deserved to know how Malcolm was doing. He reminded them both that it wasn't their faults, and that he would talk to them in the morning. Gil ignored his phone after that. Any reply about Jenkins could wait.

When he got out of the bathroom, Malcolm's glass of water was nearly empty. Gil couldn't help but smile. He would take it.

"You ready to try to sleep?" he asked the kid. Malcolm turned to him and gave a weak nod, and eased himself off the bar stool with a whimper that Gil did his best to pretend he hadn't heard. The kid made his way over to Gil, then eased himself down onto the soft sheets of the bed. He buckled himself in the way he had hundreds of times before, and curled up on his side as best he could. "Goodnight, kid," Gil said when Malcolm closed his eyes, and turned to walk towards the couch where he would spend the night.

He was stopped by a hand striking out and wrapping around his wrist. "Please don't leave," Malcolm begged in a broken whisper, his eyes still squeezed shut. A tear leaked out. The hand gripping Gil was shaking.

"It's okay," Gil insisted. "I'm just going to the couch. If you need anything, I'll be right there." It wasn't as if Gil was going to get much sleep anyway.

"Stay, please," Malcolm begged again, eyes still scrunched up tight. It was then that Gil understood what Malcolm was asking, what he was too afraid to look at Gil to ask. He wanted Gil to stay right there with him through the night. Who was Gil to refuse what his traumatized son needed? He would hold the kid for the rest of time if that was what he needed.

"Of course, kid, anything you need," Gil immediately replied. Malcolm's grip let up, but he didn't let go until Gil started to sit down on the bed.

"Wait, no," Malcolm said, eyes darting open as he moved himself further away from Gil. "I'll hurt you in my sleep, I can't ask you to stay, I can't ask that, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-"

"Hey, hey," Gil gently interrupted, a hand on Malcolm's shaking shoulder. "It's okay. I'll take my chances. You're so much more important to me than any possible bruises. You're my kid and I love you more than anything in the whole world. Of course it's okay." Gil maneuvered himself under the covers, next to his shaking kid. Malcolm didn't resist as Gil pulled him into his arms, wrapping him in love and safety.

"I'm sorry," Malcolm whispered against Gil's t-shirt, clutching the material between his fingers as he buried himself in Gil's chest.

"Shhhh, it's okay. You have nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault," he reminded him. Gil began to gently card his fingers through Malcolm's hair, careful to avoid the tender spot by his temple. He was glad that he hadn't seen any signs of a concussion throughout the rest of the night.

"It's not yours either," Malcolm replied. Gil's hand stilled for just a moment before he recovered and continued. He would beg to differ, but that wasn't a battle he was going to win with Malcolm, whose sense of self worth was so atrociously low that he didn't believe himself worthy of protection. "I'm serious, Gil," the kid continued. His voice was shaking a bit, but it was strong. "It's not on you, it's on Jenkins, and no one else. He's an opportunistic serial rapist and murderer who preys on people who aren't expecting to be assaulted and livestreams it to a paying audience on the dark web. If it wasn't me, it was going to be someone else. Jenkins was going to do it again and he was never going to stop. It's only because of you that he did. If it weren't for you, Jenkins would still be out there. What happened to me isn't your fault, it's just-," he broke off for a moment, before continuing in a lower voice, "it's just something that happened." Malcolm didn't look up or move the entire time he spoke. He stayed exactly where he was, snuggled up to Gil, clutching him like a lifeline.

"It shouldn't have been you."

"So it should've been someone else?"

"No, it shouldn't have been anyone-"

"But that's not your job," Malcolm interrupted. "We didn't even get this case until the third body dropped, so how are you specifically responsible for any of those three? Because of you, there wasn't a fourth. We got him, and if I had to get hurt for it to happen, to get Jenkins off the streets, then it was worth it." Malcolm said it with such conviction that Gil honestly felt sick. How could the kid possibly feel so uncaring towards himself.

"Not this," Gil responded, his voice as steady as he could make it. "Nothing would be worth this kind of hurt, not on you."

Malcolm was silent for a moment before responding in a low voice once again, "but it would be worth it if it happened to someone else?"

"No," Gil said with a groan. He held onto his kid a little tighter. "That's not what I mean. You are always going to be more important to me than anyone else, that's just reality. So the cost is always greater when it's you. Maybe that's not the right way for someone serving the public to think, but that's just how it is, and that will never change. Jenkins is a monster, a disgusting excuse for a human being, but sadly he exists and people got hurt. People like him are always going to exist and people are always going to get hurt. Of course I'm happy we got Jenkins and saved countless others from getting hurt, that's the whole reason I'm in this profession, but it absolutely breaks me that you had to get hurt for that to happen. If it was you or the world, I'm going to pick you every single time. That's what any dad should do for his son, so how could I not?" Gil hugged Malcolm to him even tighter. They weren't normally so candid about their emotions, but if there were ever a time to be, that was it. Gil could only hope that he was getting through to Malcolm just how important he was to him.

"Okay," Malcolm replied softly after a minute. "Just promise me that you know it's not your fault."

Gil was quiet for a moment. Malcolm's earlier words hadn't been lost on him, and he did make some decent points, but this was his kid. It was every dad's duty to look out for and protect his kid, and Gil had failed. But he also was a rational and logical man, and knew that Malcolm was an adult who made his own decisions, and dads can't protect their kids forever. He sighed.

"Okay," he finally replied with a nod, even though Malcolm couldn't see it.

"Thank you," Malcolm said, finally relaxing fully into Gil's arms. "For everything."

"Anything for you, kiddo. Anything." He felt Malcolm nod against his chest as he burrowed deeper into the blankets and into Gil's side. "Goodnight, Malcolm. I love you so much."

"I love you too, dad," Malcolm whispered in reply, his breaths already evened out in sleep.

Gil couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. He loved Malcolm more than anything in the whole world. Even when he failed the kid, Malcolm loved him anyway. How did he get so lucky to have a kid as amazing as Malcolm? Gil was going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that Jenkins got the maximum sentence. He deserved the worst kind of hell for what he'd done, and Gil was going to ensure he got it.

But that was tomorrow's fight. The only thing that mattered that night was Malcolm, and Gil was never going to leave. He stayed when Malcolm woke up screaming, calming the kid and holding him as he cried himself back to sleep. He stayed when Malcolm told Jessica what happened, holding them both steady as the tears fell. He stayed when the team came to see Malcolm and watery smiles and tight hugs prevailed. He stayed when Jenkins took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty and both he and Malcolm had to accept that that was the best justice that they were going to get. He stayed when all leads on Jenkins' dark web activities turned up nothing and the videos, which at that point had been seen legally in the process of the case by more people than Gil could count, were out there on the dark web for monsters to see forever brought on another bout of panic and tears and pain. He stayed as Malcolm came back to work and focused on cases other than his own. He stayed as Malcolm started smiling again. He stayed as Malcolm slowly but surely started to return to the effervescent boy that Gil had raised from age ten.

Gil stayed forever, through everything, no matter what, because that's what dads did. They stayed.

**Author's Note:**

> Before you ask, yes, I am planning a sequel ;)


End file.
